


more than words

by aliaaaaaa



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Credence is Their Son, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Married Couple, Mild Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 09:32:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11460810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliaaaaaa/pseuds/aliaaaaaa
Summary: Newt doesn't often say I love you, but Percival hears him anyway.





	more than words

**Author's Note:**

> hello again. 
> 
> It seems like I cannot escape writing softness and tenderness when it comes to Newt and Percival. this is something silly, and soft. I hope you will find it to be an enjoyable reading just as much as I had fun writing this. also yes, the title is from Extreme's More Than Words.
> 
> thank you so much to my friends, Anna & Kennedy for beta reading this!

 

Newt looks up from his Hodag manuscript, his glasses almost slipping off his nose when he blinks his eyes at Jacob. Credence, who is sitting next to him, is busy with his own paper; as he uses a purple crayon to draw shapes, his little pink tongue pokes out from his mouth in solid concentration, and he seems blissfully unaware of his surroundings.

“Sorry?” He asks, gripping the thick manuscript in his fingers a bit tighter as he waits for Jacob to repeat his question.

“I said, “Have you ever thought about Mr. Graves having an affair?””

Newt exhales slowly, then puts down the manuscript on the coffee table to focus solely on his best friend. “No, I haven’t.”

“It hasn’t crossed your mind even once?” Jacob persists, leaning across the low coffee table to rest his elbows on the smooth surface.

“No. Honestly, I trust him not to do something as awful as that to me,” Newt answers, his voice remaining calm even as his heart starts to beat a bit faster. “Why are you asking this, Jacob? Have you… did something happen that I don’t know about?”

“Oh! No! Mr. Graves is not having an affair! Don’t worry! I just…” Jacob exhales loudly, rubbing his face until his cheeks turn pink. “I thought about it you know,” Jacob starts to explain, his voice small. “About Queenie seeing someone else behind my back. I mean, I know she won’t do that to me but there’s always a possibility that it could happen, ya know? She’s…” Jacob gestures vaguely with his hand. “…perfect. And I’m just… me.”

Newt licks his mouth as his heartbeat returns to its normal rate and worries the soft flesh of his lip with his teeth. It’s a delicate matter to discuss but Jacob seems miserable and Newt thinks this matter has been eating his friend long enough that he might be willing to share his worries with Newt, even though he knows that Newt is not very good with words.

But still, Newt tries.

“Jacob, there’s nothing wrong with being you. Queenie loves you just as you are. Imperfections and all. And I don’t think she’s the kind of person who would be foolish enough to have an affair behind her good husband’s back.”

Jacob sighs again, the tip of his ears turning red from embarrassment.

“You think so?”

“I know so. She’s so stupidly in love with you that she doesn’t even see anyone else anymore. For her, you’re enough,” Newt reassures earnestly, taking Jacob’s pudgy hand in his and massaging out the fingers until Jacob opens his palm for him.

“You probably think I’m stupid,” Jacob mutters, embarrassed by his sudden outburst of emotion.

“No.” Newt smiles, patting his friend’s hand gently. “I think it’s normal to have doubts. It helps strengthen your relationship because you’re afraid to lose her so you’re putting all your effort into making her happy. But please remember that you can’t let these doubts consume your mind.”

“But you don’t have doubts about Mr. Graves,” Jacob speculates almost petulantly.

Newt smiles, his eyes crinkling a little bit at the corners. “I do have them, but not to the point of thinking about Percival cheating on me.”

In that moment, Credence comes plopping down on Newt’s lap, demanding his attention, and Newt leans down to kiss his son on the cheek before Credence wiggles out from his grasp to crawl back to his chair to finish his drawing. “Sometimes I think Percival is too good for me. That one day, he will wake up and realize that I don’t have anything special to offer him.”

Jacob looks at him, his forehead creasing with worry.

“Truthfully, it was a bit difficult in the beginning of our relationship because we both were so different. He’s a stickler for rules, and he’s so firm in what he believes in, while I try to defy every rule available because I cannot help it,” Newt grins when Jacob chuckles. “And despite his stoic personality, he’s very sociable. So good with handling people, while I am so awkward with basic human interaction. Even when I have you, and Queenie, and Tina; I still feel inadequate when talking to new people.”

“Mummy, look! Dragon!” Credence announces suddenly, pointing at his drawing proudly, demanding Newt’s attention again.

“Oh! That is one pretty dragon, sweetheart. Very good!” Newt praises his son, who beams at him with shining eyes before turning back to add fire to the drawing.

Newt looks at the boy, with his dark hair and long lashes fanning his chubby cheeks; all Percival, right down to his very soft, kind heart.

He looks up to focus on Jacob again. “We argued a lot. We still do actually. But, at the end of the day, we always talk about what’s bothering us even though it’s difficult for me to do so at first. He’s very persistent about not going to bed angry. And it helps a lot. Talking about things and feelings shows how serious he is with me, how he cares so much about us. That helps a lot in expelling the doubts.”

Newt pushes his glasses up and toys with his pen, noticing the comfortable weight of his wedding ring on his finger, a symbol of Percival’s vow to always take care of him.

“He accepts me for who I am, Jacob,” Newt continues. “No matter how much of a menace I was and how awkward I am with people, he loves me.”

“You love him a lot huh?” Jacob surmises, smiling at Newt, who dips his head in embarrassment.

“I do, very much so,” Newt confirms, feeling his face heat up.

“Do you always tell him that you love him?”

Newt shakes his head, laughing. “Not nearly as much as I should. It’s embarrassing to say the words!”

“But he’s your husband!”

Newt shrugs his shoulders, his head still dipping down, avoiding Jacob’s eyes.

“Does Mr. Graves tell you he loves you?” Jacob asks.

“All the time,” Newt confesses, swallowing down his smile when Jacob raises an eyebrow at him. “He says that, after what happened with Grindelwald, he values life more now. He takes pleasure in every small detail and he always tells us that he loves us because he never had anyone before.”

Jacob nods reverently, a dark shadow crossing his face before he smiles at Newt. “I tell Queenie I love her,” Jacob admits. “Every day. Even when she could read it from my mind, I still tell her because it makes her smile. You should tell Mr. Graves that you love him too ya know. I’m sure it would make him happy if you say the words to him.”

“But it’s embarrassing!” Newt cries out, hiding his face behind his hand.

“Why is it embarrassing? Hey, Credence,” Jacob taps Credence’s head gently, and when the boy looks at him he asks, “Do you love your Mommy?”

“Yes! I love Mommy!” Credence answers enthusiastically.

“Does your Mommy love you?”

“Yes!”

“Who does your Mommy love the most? You or your Dad?”

“Me! Mommy loves me and I love Mommy and Daddy!” Credence shouts his answer confidently.

Newt huffs out a laugh when Credence stands and jumps into his arms, peppering his face with wet kisses.

“See? It’s easy,” Jacob says smugly.

 

* * *

 

It’s not easy.

Newt has been so fidgety since his husband arrived home that he almost smacked Percival in the face with his nose when he actually wanted to kiss him gently and tell Percival how much he appreciates and loves him.

He’s nervous and it shows because Percival is looking at him oddly, and really it should be easy to just say the words right? He says them to Credence all the time. Even Percival tells him that he loves him despite his gruff manner, and Newt knows that his anxiety is unfounded.

It _should_ be easy.

Except that it’s not because he’s conscious about it now, doesn’t know when the right time to actually tell Percival is, so that he ends up staring at his husband, the words lodged inside his throat, not wanting to come out. He hopes that his thoughts are loud enough for Percival to catch the wavelength of his love.

“Are you okay?” Percival whispers softly, his arms sneaking around Newt’s waist to pull him flush against his broad chest, making Newt yelp in surprise because he’s too lost in watching Credence sleeping while snuggling his soft dragon toy to be aware of Percival’s sudden appearance.

“I’m f-fine! Everything is good!” Newt stammers, craning his neck to look at his husband. He tries to smile but it comes out as a grimace instead.

“Did something happen while I was at the office? You didn’t adopt another Niffler did you?”

“No! Nifflers are very much non-adoptable. Princess came to me because she was hurting. Otherwise she won’t even let me catch a glimpse of her. You know how sneaky they are,” Newt explains, his nerves calming down instantly when he talks about his creatures. He realizes that Percival is staring at him with a fond expression on his handsome face.

Newt shuts his mouth and avoids looking at Percival’s dark eyes. Suddenly feeling shy for being too close to his husband like this.

Percival doesn’t let Newt’s sudden shyness stop him from nuzzling his neck, brushing the delicate skin gently with soft kisses and he grins when Newt readily bares his neck for more contact even when he protests that Credence would wake up if they make too much noise.

“C’mon, darling. What’s bothering you?” Percival asks, resting his chin on top of Newt’s shoulder, looking at the bed where their boy is sleeping soundly, sucking on his thumb even though Newt had tried to wean him off it.

Newt sighs and he knows that Percival won’t let the matter go now. But he still tries to shrug it off.

“It’s nothing important really,” Newt reassures his husband, leaning into his arms even more when Percival squeezes his waist gently.

“You were distracted the whole evening. I’m sure it’s important enough for you to lose focus,” Percival quips back easily, and he chuckles when he sees Newt pouting at him.

“You’re so persistent,” Newt says sulkily, knocking the back of his head against Percival’s forehead.

Percival kisses the side of Newt’s head, hiding his grin into the kiss. “Tell me?”

Newt sighs heavily, then wiggles around until he is facing his husband, wrapping his arms around Percival’s broad shoulders and leaning in to give him a proper kiss, one that Percival is all too happy to accept judging by the sound he makes.

“Honestly, it’s nothing of importance, Percy,” Newt says, looking up to hold Percival’s gaze briefly before he looks over Percival’s shoulder. “It’s just… I don’t know how to tell you that I love you. That’s all.”

Percival blinks. Newt sees this from the corner of his eyes, how the thick, dark lashes create a brief shadow against his cheeks.

“You just said it,” Percival says.

“I know! I mean…” Newt knocks Percival’s shoulder with his fist in frustration. “I was imagining it to be romantic you know? Me welcoming you home and kissing you and whispering to you that I love you so much. But, I knocked your face with my nose instead. And I thought that I could tell you when you were helping me with the dishes. I’d imagine that I was hugging you from behind and whispering I love you but then Credence demanded that you bathe him so that moment was interrupted. And I was actually waiting for us to be in bed, with me gently kissing your handsome face and telling you how my heart feels full with love for you. But you ruined that plan by having me tell you that I love you in our son’s room instead.”

Newt pouts and glares at Percival when he feels his husband’s shoulders shaking from holding in his laughter.

“It’s not funny!” Newt punches Percival’s shoulder again, stomping his foot on the floor like Credence does whenever Percival teases him too much. “I worried about it for the whole evening because I wanted it to be perfect. Except I said the words to you in a very poor manner instead.”

Instead of appeasing Newt, Percival grins at him, cupping Newt’s face in his hands and squishing his cheeks, leaning in to kiss his face soundly.

“You’re so adorable,” Percival says, one hand still cradling Newt’s jaw, ignoring Newt’s sulky “I’m not.”

Percival leans in to kiss Newt again, gently this time, pulling him into a firm hug and letting his palm glide over Newt’s back in a soothing manner.

“You don’t have to say that you love me,” Percival says, and he lets Newt wiggle out from his embrace.

“But I want to,” Newt argues. “You deserve to hear the words every day.”

Percival smiles and shakes his head. “You don’t have to say that you love me because I still hear you perfectly.”

Newt tilts his head a bit in question and Percival brushes Newt’s hair out of his eyes.

“It’s the softness in your eyes when you look at me. The way you murmur “welcome home” to me. It’s in the way you kiss me. The way you hold me. The way you tell me about your day. The proudness in your voice when you talk about Credence. It’s in the way that you always come back to us after you travel. I hear you loud and clear even when you don’t verbally tell me that you love me, Newt.”

Newt takes a deep breath, locking his eyes with Percival, willing the tears to stop falling.

“Hey, no. Don’t cry,” Percival whispers, thumbing Newt’s eyelids softly.

“I’m not crying. I just…” Newt sniffs and rubs his nose. “It’s unfair how cool you sound.”

“You know I’m a cool cat,” Percival teases, and Newt weakly knocks his chest.

“I still would like to verbally say it because I don’t want you to doubt my feelings for you,” Newt says, pressing a soft kiss to Percival’s chin before resting his face against Percival’s neck.

Percival gathers Newt into his arms even firmer, drops a kiss into Newt’s messy copper-gold curls; feeling his chest fill with happiness as Newt clings to him even closer.

Like this, in their house, with his husband holding him, with their son sleeping peacefully; like this with Newt murmuring “I love you” against his skin, branding him with his love, Percival feels lucky.

**Author's Note:**

> if you have reached this point, thank you so much for reading! kudos and comment are really much appreciated!
> 
> find me on [auroargraves](http://auroargraves.tumblr.com).


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